


Bare Back

by millionstar



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: AU, First Time, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-08-30
Updated: 2012-08-30
Packaged: 2017-11-13 04:06:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,561
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/499273
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/millionstar/pseuds/millionstar
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A practical joke leads to something much more meaningful.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Bare Back

**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted at my LJ. http://millionstar.livejournal.com/207812.html

Merlin was exhausted.

His day had been filled with lectures and notes and he actually thought that his fingers were going to fall off, he'd done so much handwriting in the last seven hours. All he wanted now was something to eat and a nice, long nap, possibly followed up with a Father Ted marathon. 

As he closed the door behind him he stared miserably at the gorgeous man asleep on the couch in his flat and sighed. 

It wasn't fair.

None of it.

It wasn't fair that Merlin hadn't been able to squash the feelings he'd been harboring for his best friend and roommate yet. On most days, he was able to cope relatively well. He could force a smile onto his face and be content that he at least had Arthur in his life as his closest friend. But today was not one of those days. No, today was one of those days where he felt he might go mad with the longing and sadness and Merlin knew if he wasn't very careful he would end up crying himself to sleep again tonight. 

Arthur snored loudly, drooling into the couch cushions, and Merlin couldn't help but smile at the sight. He was beautiful, there was no other word that could be used to describe Arthur Pendragon. Asleep on his stomach in nothing but socks and tight jeans, his body was on display in a very tantalizing fashion. His bare back looked smooth and soft and so golden and it took all of Merlin's will not to lean down and kiss it. 

Merlin walked closer and dropped his keys on the table next to the couch. He had no need to worry about waking Arthur; the blond had a reputation as a criminally heavy sleeper and not even a sonic boom could rouse him when he was napping. On the floor was a collection of papers and writing utensils; apparently Arthur had fallen asleep while doing some work. As his eyes fell on a thick blue marker, Merlin began to smile. 

Arthur was constantly playing practical jokes on his friends, Merlin himself having been the most recent victim. He'd nearly had to miss a day of classes because Arthur had superglued his laptop closed last week. 

Merlin sat down quietly as possible and took the cap off the marker, pressing it lightly against the skin on Arthur's back. As he'd suspected, the snoring blond didn't budge. Merlin grinned and made quick work of the canvas he'd created, all the while appreciating the physical beauty before him. It didn't take him long, and in about five minutes Merlin was in their small kitchen, busying himself with his dinner. 

He felt oddly satisfied with himself at first, at having finally found a clever way to get back at Arthur, and at the same time being able to be so close to what he wanted so badly. But as the night wore on Merlin couldn't get the sight of Arthur laid out before him out of his mind and he ended up falling asleep with eyes that were, indeed, far from dry.

The next evening Merlin was curled up in a chair reading when Arthur burst into their flat like a force of nature. 

"What the hell did you do to me last night?"

Merlin looked up from the magazine he was reading and gave Arthur a look of pure and total innocence. "Moi?" he said, eyes wide, "I'm afraid I don't follow you."

Arthur narrowed his eyes and plastered a thin smile onto his face. He stalked into the room and took off his jacket. "Then let me remind you, Merlin." He then proceeded to peel off his shirt, Merlin's eyes sparkling with mirth as he watched, magazine now tossed aside.

"You gonna strip for me? Kinky."

" _You're_ the kinky one," Arthur spat, turning around so that Merlin could see the remnants of what he'd drawn on Arthur's back last night as he slept.

Merlin applauded as he re-examined his handiwork. "It's stunning."

"Merlin, you drew a dick on my bare back."

"You just said 'dick' and 'bare back', Arthur."

"It's not funny, Merlin! Tell me, what day is it?"

Merlin blinked, caught off-guard by the seemingly innocuous question. "Thursday."

"Yes, _Thursday_. Where do I go every Thursday after classes?"

Merlin's hand flew to his mouth. "To the gym...."

"And what do I do there?" 

"Teach swimming," the brunet finished, his eyes squeezed shut in shame. "Oh, god, Arthur, I'm so sorry! I wasn't thinking-"

"To swim, Merlin, one has to remove one's shirt. Is that not correct?" Arthur asked, one finger in the air. 

Merlin merely nodded, unable to meet his roommate's gaze. 

"The one who spotted it, Merlin, the oversized giggle-stick on my back, I mean, was a little girl named Lucy. Do you know who she is?"

Merlin bit his lip and shook his head.

Arthur kneeled down in front of him and looked him in the eye. "The. Vicar's. Daughter."

"Oh," Merlin squeaked. "How is the Vicar?"

"He's fine. The good news is that he's going to, and I quote, 'pray for my wicked soul', so at least I've got that going for me." Arthur threw himself down on the couch and put his head in his hands. "Leon really let me have it. I was afraid he was going to tell me to not come back anymore."

Merlin felt like he was going to throw up. He never dreamed that Arthur might get in serious trouble from all of this and he certainly hadn't even thought about the possibility that people at the gym would be able to see it. That was what had, in his opinion, made the prank so effective: Merlin would most likely be the only one who knew it was even there. 

"Well done, Merlin," Arthur sighed, "you really got me. Gonna jump in the shower." He left the room before Merlin could reply and padded to the bathroom, his brain filled with thoughts that he couldn't chase away. As he stepped beneath the spray he shook his head ruefully. He was proud of Merlin in a way; apparently his roommate was something of a diabolical mastermind in his own right. 

Arthur just wished he'd been awake when the event in question had occurred, that he'd been cognizant of the fact that Merlin had been so close to him that he could have instantly turned over, pulled him close, and kissed him. 

He'd been wanting to for so long. For so, very long. 

It was hard for Arthur to vocalize how he felt; that had been a problem that he'd struggled with his whole life. He'd been in love with his best friend for as long as he could remember and he had absolutely no idea what to do with himself. He wanted Merlin for his own more than anything in life and sometimes, unless he was very mistaken, he would catch Merlin looking at him with a sadness that made him wonder if perhaps Merlin felt the same. 

Perhaps they were both simply stubborn. 

He dried off and examined the marking on his back, rolling his eyes when he realized that the marker wasn't going to simply wash away easily. The events of the day caught up with him and that, paired with the fact that the love of his life was only a few feet away and not in his arms, prompted him to simply fall into bed early. 

Arthur needed to clear his head.

* * * * *

"I owe you an apology."

Arthur looked up from laptop, his expression one of confusion. "What?"

"For the other night. The... thing I drew on your back."

"Say it, Merlin."

"The comically large phallus I drew on your back," Merlin said, flushing.

"Right. Go on."

"So, I was thinking, I should let you do the same thing to me. As payback." Merlin meant every word. He'd spent the last forty eight hours feeling horrible that he'd gotten Arthur in trouble at work and decided that drastic measures were called for. He took off his shirt and sat down on Arthur's bed, the same blue marker in his hand that had gotten them both into this whole mess. 

The blond gaped. "Are you serious?" 

"Do your worst." 

Arthur smiled, his eyes lighting up his whole face and Merlin's heart at the same time. He took the marker from Merlin. "Seriously? Wait, nobody will see it, what kind of punishment is that?"

The brunet raised his hand solemnly. "As penance I promise to walk through town shirtless in nothing but those tiny gym shorts mum sent me for at least thirty minutes."

Arthur's pulse sped up at that particular thought but he shook his head to chase it away and contemplated the situation before him. He wasn't really _that_ angry with Merlin, at least not any longer. However, could he really pass up the opportunity to get to see so much of Merlin's skin, especially when Merlin was practically offering it to him on a silver platter? Arthur was torn, but not too torn enough to be able to resist the temptation.

"Let's do this," he said, putting his laptop away. 

Merlin turned onto his stomach and made himself comfortable as he could, hoping that he would be able to control himself, for he could smell Arthur's shampoo on his pillow and it was an utterly intoxicating scent. Merlin decided that he was most likely the textbook definition of a sadist to put himself in this position; he just hoped he wouldn't regret it in the end.

Arthur sat down next to Merlin and tried not to gasp aloud. Before him was a beautiful expanse of skin that took his breath away. He couldn't take his eyes off of it, from the elegant curve of Merlin's spine to the pair of sharp shoulder blades, to the nape of his neck, the brunet was stunning in every way. 

"Merlin," Arthur whispered, trembling as his resolve began to float away.

"Hmm?" 

The blond traced one of Merlin's shoulder blades with the tip of the marker and swallowed, creating with the ink the only thing that came to his mind. This was the stuff of Arthur's wank fantasies, Merlin in his bed, barely clothed, his body completely on display for him and him alone. He nodded, watching Merlin stretch his back muscles slightly, the action causing Arthur to bite his lower lip. 

"Can... can I do... anything I want?" Even though he had no idea where this sudden bout of courage had come from, Arthur felt that if he didn't act on it now he never would. 

Merlin nodded. "Yes. This is my punishment, remember?" He closed his eyes, relaxing into the bed and waited again for the cool tip of the marker to hit his skin once more. 

His eyes flew open when he felt Arthur press his lips against the center of his back instead. Merlin was shocked but at the same time he'd wanted Arthur for so long that his entire body was singing out in praise over what was happening. The feeling only intensified when Arthur repeated his motions, one of the kisses involved being an open-mouthed one that went straight to Merlin's heart. 

"Arthur," he whispered.

"Yeah?"

"Do it again."

When the blond nuzzled Merlin's back with his nose he did it with a blinding grin that he didn't even try to hide. Arthur sighed, pressing his cheek against soft skin for a beat, then kissing it, not just once but repeatedly, kissing it once for every time he'd dreamed of doing so the past few months. 

(Well, Arthur reckoned that they'd be here for days if he did that, but the sentiment was definitely there all the same.)

They were slow, soft kisses. 

Reverent kisses.

"Arthur."

"Merlin."

"This... this isn't punishment," the brunet said softly. No, this wasn't punishment; punishment had been living in the same flat with the man Merlin had loved for some time now and pretending that he only wanted his friendship. It wasn't that he regretted it or had ever wanted to move out, it was more that he never dreamed that Arthur would want him the way he wanted Arthur. The thought that perhaps the blond felt the same was overwhelming to Merlin. 

"No, it's not," Arthur chuckled between kisses, "but I did mark you. Blue ink suits you, you know."

Merlin turned over and sat up, inching closer to Arthur, their hearts pounding in equal measure. Like something out of a fairytale they leaned in at the same time, their first kiss everything that they could ever have hoped it would be. Merlin's arms wound around Arthur's neck, his hands locking into blond hair, and Arthur's hands gripped Merlin's bare waist firmly, determined to never let go. 

"...but this suits you more," Arthur whispered as they kissed again. 

"We... we need to talk, don't we?" Merlin mumbled against Arthur's lips, the blond nodding as they broke for air and rested their foreheads together.

"I think we do."

And that's precisely what they did.

They spent the next hour sitting on Arthur's bed, holding hands and confessing things that had been kept secret for too long. Merlin couldn't contain the joy in his heart when Arthur admitted that he'd wanted him forever but simply hadn't had the courage until tonight to do something about it. Arthur, for his part, felt much the same, simple astonishment that they'd both been on the same page for so long, and frustration that they've wasted so much time that could have been spent being with each other. 

They didn't leave Arthur's bedroom at all that evening, except to answer the door when the Chinese food they ordered arrived. They ate and laughed and talked some more until they found themselves kissing and touching and simply basking in the glow of what was blossoming between them. Both of them were content to take it slow, and before they knew what had happened it was two in the morning and they decided that sleep, while something of a buzzkill, was necessary.

The next morning Merlin woke first, groaning from exhaustion until he opened one eye and saw Arthur sleeping next to him. That particular sight made the brunet's groan morph into a sigh that could only be described as dreamy. As fantastic as the sight filling his vision was, nature called and the sleepy brunet made his way to the bathroom.

It was only as he was washing his hands that Merlin remembered that Arthur had made at least a few markings on his skin He turned his back to the mirror; if he stretched and craned his neck just so and stood on one foot, he was able to see precisely how Arthur had marked him; he smiled so brightly that the sun itself would have been envious if it could have witnessed it.

On his back, just below his right shoulderblade was one word, written in blue:

  
**mine**  


In the reflection of the mirror he could see Arthur, now awake and smiling bashfully from his bed, and Merlin wondered if the blond knew just how right he was.

"You still owe me that walk in the tiny gym shorts, you know."

"No time like the present," Merlin shot back as dove onto the bed.


End file.
